This multidisciplinary branch of science would focus on problems that need to be solved for a self-sustaining Mars colony. Such topics would be investigated as: (just add "on Mars" to the end of these)
* Materials science focused on finding alternative ways to make things using elements commonly found.
* Civil engineering for segregating and maintaining interdependent cities.
* City planning.
* Long term effects of reproducing in reduced gravity.
* Whether it's possible to grow plants in extremely weak sunlight, or the minimum amount of artificial sunlight that's necessary for modern agriculture.
* Forms of government that work well when you absolutely, positively cannot afford a war.
* Arcology development.
These and many similar topics need to receive special attention as soon as possible if we are to see to fruition the dream of a multiplanitary species.-- Voice, Nov 10 2019 Rentishams Flenting Wax http://www.rentishams.co.uk/ [Voice, Nov 10 2019] // absolutely, positively cannot afford a war. //
You can ALWAYS afford a war ; not necessarily one that anyone survives, but you can always afford one, albeit at a very high price.
War is, by definition, a negative -sum game.
Besides, what's wrong with the standard operational procedure of blundering into a difficult situation for complex and poorly -defined motives, then sorting it out as you go along and finally pretending that the outcome was planned from the beginning , to try and sustain the fuzzy pink bubble of self -deception you strive so hard for ?-- 8th of 7, Nov 10 2019 If you believe you can't afford a war you've already lost.
But with adequate self directed propaganda & deceit it's always possible to pretend you haven't because there 'wasn't one' .. allegedly.-- Skewed, Nov 10 2019 <Notes that [Skewed] is progressing very nicely, and will soon be pulled across the Cynicism Event Horizon to the Dark Side/>-- 8th of 7, Nov 10 2019 [Gazes @ the Cynicism Event Horizon]
[Grins happily as he slides towards it with legs clasped around a nuke]
[Checks the timer & gives a cheery wave]
"On my way, with you soon"-- Skewed, Nov 10 2019 <Doolittle>
"[Skewed], return to the bomb bay !"
<Doolittle/>-- 8th of 7, Nov 10 2019 I'm not sure what's new here other than the aggregation? Going back even to Biosphere 2?-- theircompetitor, Nov 10 2019 Well, the idea of working out the practicalities of having a limited nuclear war inside a camper van seems fairly innovative ...-- 8th of 7, Nov 10 2019 Sp. peculiarities.-- Skewed, Nov 10 2019 A typical VW campervan could carry a driver, two passengers, and three W48 155mm nuclear artillery rounds without serious problems if the load is correctly distributed. Yes, they're heavy, but only about the size of a typical 9l water-filled fire extinguisher.
Some luggage might have to go on the roof rack, though. Hardly "peculiar" ...-- 8th of 7, Nov 10 2019 What is "arcology"?-- MaxwellBuchanan, Nov 10 2019 The study of sustained high-voltage electric sparks.
Please, do try to keep up.-- 8th of 7, Nov 10 2019 //Hardly "peculiar"//
So you haven't seen my camper van then-- Skewed, Nov 10 2019 You mean it doesn't have support brackets for carrying two tactical nuclear devices ? That certainly is a very strange campervan, by our standards.-- 8th of 7, Nov 10 2019 No not that, I mean 'you haven't seen my camper van' have you?
It's missing.
The ad hoc automation probably wasn't a good idea.
Particularly that dodgy AI I got on the cheap, it identifies as a sheep now, must have wandered off with a passing flock when I wasn't looking.-- Skewed, Nov 10 2019 Don't tell us ... you got it from MaxCo, didn't you ? Suspiciously cheap, fancy coloured box, lots of exciting promises in the sales brochure ?
Does it run on hay, water and small pellets of compressed grass, and make a rattling, squeaking noise at night ?
What you have there is a hamster. A live hamster, in a box. Not "AI"; a hamster in a box. Don't feel bad, you're not the first to be taken in by him.
We knew it was going to be bad when MaxCo won the tender for the 737MAX flight control system upgrade with a ridiculously low bid. "Dual redundant control". Brilliant. What happens if you shut two squirrels up in a small box ? Yup. They fight. Eighty tonnes of jet aircraft, brought down by aggressive squirrels ... he blames it on "inappropriate maintenance procedures " ....-- 8th of 7, Nov 10 2019 Shit. Don't tell me our marketing team has been squandering money on a "sales brochure" again.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Nov 10 2019 Just the one example that we saw; he did achieve quite a nice effect with the blend of wax crayon and felt tip marker.
But you could still see the "Rentishams" small print and disclaimer underneath.-- 8th of 7, Nov 10 2019 random, halfbakery